SCIENCE NEWS

BIRTHMARK Newborns carrying the ε4 version of the ApoE gene had decreased brain volume (blue) in the medial temporal lobe of the brain compared with newborns who carried a different version. Other brain areas showed an increase in brain volume (yellow). more >>

At birth, some infants are already saddled with brains that carry features of Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. Newborns who carry certain versions of genes already show brain shrinkage reminiscent of that in adults with brain illnesses, a study of 272 newborn babies reveals. 01.10.13 | more >>

It’s part clock, part scale: A newly developed atomic clock measures time based on the mass of a single atom. The research, published online January 10 in Science, is controversial but could provide scientists with more precise methods of measuring both time and mass. 01.10.13 | more >>

Scientists have an answer to the pressing question of why hands and feet get wrinkled after too much time in the bath: Pruniness may have evolved to make it easier to handle wet objects. 01.09.13 | more >>

A multipurpose version of a Pap smear can detect genetic signs of ovarian or uterine cancer in women, researchers report. When applied to the cervical swabs, the experimental analysis spotted genetic mutations in every sample from uterine cancer patients and in many from those with ovarian cancer. 01.09.13 | more >>

Some geologic faults suffer from a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality: Sections considered resistant to powerful earthquakes can sometimes produce enormous temblors. New research shows how a quake on one fault segment can weaken a neighboring section, allowing a once-steady segment to suddenly slip. 01.09.13 | more >>

Astronauts on a months-long mission to Mars and back will have more to contend with than boredom and a lack of gourmet cuisine: Disrupted sleep may be a serious side effect of extended space flight, potentially changing crew dynamics and affecting performance on high-pressure tasks. 01.07.13 | more >>

Babies may start to learn their mother tongues even before seeing their mothers’ faces. Newborns react differently to native and foreign vowel sounds, suggesting that language learning begins in the womb, researchers say. 01.07.13 | more >>

Coaxing a gas to a negative temperature on the kelvin scale has produced, paradoxically, the hottest temperature ever measured. The study, published in the Jan. 4 Science, will help physicists learn about quantum phenomena and perhaps even the strange form of energy that dominates the universe. 01.04.13 | more >>

Patients with HIV who get vaccinated with a disabled version of the virus can, in many cases, fight the real one to a draw. A new study shows that injecting heat-inactivated HIV can awaken immune protection in some patients, limiting their need for drugs for weeks or months. While the effects appear temporary, the approach might eventually lead to a way to control HIV over the long-term. 01.03.13 | more >>

Some 450 light-years from Earth, embryonic planets may be feeding tendrils of gas to the newborn star they orbit. The discovery helps explain how a young star can grow even as budding planets suck up much of the gas and dust around it. Without the tendrils replenishing it, the star’s supply of gas would disappear in less than a year. 01.02.13 | more >>

One of three major efforts to drill into buried Antarctic lakes has ended without success. A British-led project to plumb the subglacial Lake Ellsworth ground to a halt on Christmas Eve, after the team could not properly connect two portions of the drilling system. 12.27.12 | more >>

While the Arctic melts apace with rising global temperatures, Antarctica is often seen as the literal polar opposite — frigid, unyielding, impervious to change. But a spot in the heart of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is one of the fastest-warming places on Earth, a new study shows. 12.21.12 | more >>

Like a popular politician with long “coattails,” a baseball player on a hitting streak seems to lift the performance of those around him. Teammates who play regularly with a streaking player hit at a pace above their own average during those games, a mathematical analysis shows. 12.21.12 | more >>